Team Final Exams
May 26, 2009
The next time your organization is faced with a challenging issue, form a team to attack the problem. You’ll find the outcome rewarding.
When we reflect back on our experiences during our formal education, we can usually identify two or three teachers who had an impact on the way we approach our work. If we’re observant, we can expand upon these lessons to improve our personal effectiveness.
During college, one of my computer science professors, Ken Reek, had unique approaches to teaching. For example, if he assigned a computer lab assignment to the class, he also completed it himself and “turned it in” by the due date. If an assignment was due on Thursday, it would be counted as “on time” if it was under his office door when he arrived on Friday morning. He was creative, knew his stuff, and got along really well with his students, being only a few years older than we were.
Needless to say, I was glad to see that he would be teaching the very last course I would be taking for my undergraduate degree: Operating Systems Lab. This class represented the culmination of four years of work in software engineering and systems software. We had to write an operating system, file handlers, and low-level device drivers. Those of you with computer backgrounds know what I’m talking about. For those of you who don’t, suffice it to say that this was probably the single most difficult course in the department.
So what did Ken do to make it interesting? The lab assignments were to be done in teams of three people. So I quickly teamed up with two very smart people, and we got to work. Surrounding yourself with capable people makes any job easier, and we got excellent grades on all our work.
Finally the end of the quarter arrived and with it came final exams. Operating Systems Lab was the last of these tests. It was not just the last test of the quarter; it was the last test of senior year. After this exam I would be done with college!
Ken Reek walked in carrying a stack of blank paper, handed out about ten sheets to each student, and said, “You’ve all done your work in this course in teams; you’ll be working in the real world in teams; and today you’ll take your final exam in teams. Get with the team you’ve been with all quarter and write an electronic mail system. We got down to work and knocked out the assignment in about an hour.
You have similar opportunities in your work, and your life, to develop teams. Things that seem difficult and overwhelming can become easier if you get input from other people. And hiring people with diverse backgrounds brings new perspectives to the table.
Life is full of tests; they’re just not all clearly presented as “final exams.” The next time you’re faced with a challenging problem, follow Ken Reek’s advice and form a team to attack the problem. You’ll find the outcome rewarding.
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